1 . The Messenger of Peace!!

A serious question was raised by a little girl. We met this little girl on our ________. She is very cute and ________. Her mother runs a tea shop and she also used to ________ her. We stopped at her shop for tea ________; she was very excited to see us and looked ________ So one of our journey mates called her and ________ tea with us. She smiled and sat with us and started asking questions. We were very surprised at ________ smart she was!

She ________ some good questions on peace & war. She said we all are human and we all have the ________ blood in our body so why do we fight? For a ________ we were silent. Because we didn’t have the right answer. But we had to give some answers. To know the answer, we are doing this journey. One of our journey mates said let’s come with us to know the answer ________ your questions. She said yes and started ________ on our cycle. We were very happy to see her enthusiasm and excitement. But we couldn’t take her with us. So we ________ her with a garland (花环) and peace doves. We also gave her some toffees (太妃糖) and peace pamphlets (小册子). She and her mother ________ were very happy and inspired. We were also very inspired by that girl. She gave us new ________ and thoughtfulness.

2 . It was dark and I was standing in front of a _________ house in an unfamiliar street in Sydney’s northwest, rescue box in hand, leather gloves under my arm, my head full of instructions to _________. The little bird waiting inside the house would be my first _________ as a volunteer wildlife rescuer since I’d completed a two-day training course the previous month. A call had come through that afternoon asking for help _________ a bird of an unknown species was being attacked by two youngsters in his garden. He _________ the children and grabbed their victim.

I went inside to see my very first patient. I was _________, yet with the man watching on, I would have to look confident. With great care, I lifted the edge of the shoe box very _________ to see a tiny-looking bird standing to attention on very thin legs.

The bird was shivering, so I decided not to grab it by hand but just transfer the whole shoebox into my rescue box. I didn’t want to appear incompetent.

Back home, I couldn’t see any obvious _________ of injury. I hadn’t seen this species of bird before, so I googled for a _________ on the Internet. After a while, I came across something that looked like a match: a fantail, so called because of its __________ feathers that, when fully open, spread out into a neat little “fan”.

I phoned the bird specialist of my local rescue group. She told me this species hunts __________ on the wing, and I needed to release it the next day on the same street it came from.

I waited until evening the next day, which would provide the cover of __________, to release it. I was back on the street where I’d rescued it, gently holding the bird, and wondered what would be __________ for this delicate creature this time around. Nothing. It would have to take care of itself just as before, and be strong enough to catch some insects and recover its energy levels without delay.

I held the bird as __________ as I could to give it a good lift-off: the little bird __________ swiftly into the darkness without a pause. My first rescue had ended in a successful release.

3 . I had never been more anxious in my life. I had just arrived at the airport to travel home. As I watched the bus driver set my luggage on the airport sidewalk, I realized my _________ had just begun.

This was my first visit alone to the international terminal (航站楼) of the airport, and nothing was _________. I couldn’t make sense of any of the _________. Where was the check-in counter? I felt as if I were deaf and blind and stupid. I began to _________. I had to find help!

I tried to ask a passing businessman for help, but my _________ came out wrong. He frowned and walked away. I had been in this country for a semester, but could not even remember how to ask for directions. Awful! Another _________ arrived at the terminal, and the passengers came out carrying lots of luggage. Right! I could _________ them to the right place.

I dragged my enormous suitcase, went after them and reached the elevators. Oh, no! They all fit in it, but not enough room for me. I watched _________ as the elevator doors closed. I was abandoned again! I got on the elevator when it returned and _________ all the buttons. Which one could it be? I pressed button 3 because I thought I saw those passengers pressed 3, though only a quick glance. The elevator climbed up to the third floor and stopped. A high, unpleasant noise __________ the opening of the doors, and I looked around __________.

Tears formed as I saw the empty hall and realized I would __________ my plane. Just then an elderly airport employee walked towards me. He guessed I was __________ and offered to help. He patted my shoulder to ease my anxiety. We walked up some stairs, turned a corner, and reached the check-in counter!

When I turned to thank him, he was gone. I never got an opportunity to know that man’s name, but I would always remember his unexpected __________. Without his timely help, I would have missed my plane. I hope I will be able to do the same for another traveler experiencing a(n) __________ journey.

4 . One spring evening, I was incredibly worn after a long day of school. I wished for _________ but I had to drag my heavy feet to the violin studio.

I was playing Moldau to Kate, my teacher. I simply couldn’t play with _________, though. While I followed all the _________ on the sheet music, I still _________ to make music describing spring with full-blown flowers sound like flowers dying bitter deaths. Kate _________ attentively and then frowned (皱眉), asking me what the piece’s mood was. I stared at her, _________.

Pulling out paper and a pencil, she asked, “Can you _________an image of what you think a typical day in the forest during spring would look like?” Hesitantly, I started to let my _________ fly. Soon a scenic forest full of life was _________ in my mind.

Minutes later, I completed my drawing. “Now, play the piece again with this. __________ imagery in your mind,” Kate said. I closed my eyes and began to play, just as its theme was introduced, with __________ expression I had never done before.

As I __________ the piece, there followed a short silence before Kate said, “That’s the best playing I’ve ever heard from you.” Her eyes were shining. “Who knew painting out the scenery would help you better __________ the music? Sometimes all we need is to use our creativity and try different methods when facing difficulties.”

The __________ violin lesson taught me more than just music. I also learned a valuable __________ skill, which I applied to my daily life.

5 . With over 125,000 followers, 34-year-old Oliver James is a star in the Book Tok community. And it all started with a simple_________: Learn to read.

For most of the kids, school is a place where they can develop a relationship with learning in a_________ environment. For James, the opposite. _________ with learning and behavior. Disabilities made him in_________ education. “The special education system at the time was a lot more_________ on behavioral than educating,” he said.

Reading_________ carried over into James’ adulthood and it significantly _________ his employment opportunities and affected his self-esteem (自信). However, when he and his wife decided_________ to their family of three, James became determined to change things.

Starting his journey with a book of inspirational quotes gifted by his wife, James began reading bits out loud and _________ to TikTok. Being a motivational speaker, he would often combine his interests with his heartfelt honesty and personality. __________ will often send James more books to read in hopes for his book reviews.

But perhaps the biggest __________ has been the way reading has __________ James’ relationship with his son. In an interview, he shared that they’ve not only__________ over books but reading has proven to be a great __________ for mental health, which has helped James become a better parent. James’ new goal is to read 100 new titles by 2024 —__________ for any bookworm in this day and age.

6 . Memories always die hard. True! Thirty years ago, I was a second-year medical student practicing at a near-by hospital. My university’s philosophy was to get students seeing patients early in their education. Nice as it is, it _______one detail: second-year students may know next to nothing.

Assigned to my team that day was a fully-occupied doctor and he told us to start small. Along with me were two guys just as _______ as I was, but in a scarier way: they had recently graduated from medical school as MDs (medical doctor).

The day began at 6:30 am. We did a quick check of our three patients and later we were to _______our findings to the doctor, which we supposed was a piece of cake.

But when I arrived in the room of 70-year-old Mr. Adams, he was sitting up in bed, sweating and _______heavily. He’d just had a hip operation and looked terrible. I listened to his lungs with my stethoscope, but they _______clear. Next I checked and found his heart rate had been _______ , but his temperature was steady. It didn’t seem like heart failure, nor did it appear to be pneumonia. So l asked Mr. Adams what he thought was going on.

“It’s really hot in here, Doc”he replied.

So I concluded that his condition resulted from the stuffy room and told him the rest of the team would return in a few minutes, _______ him it was OK. He then _______ a smile and waved goodbye weakly.

Back to my office, still _______ about Mr. Adams, I checked my textbooks and notes. I ________when seeing his symptoms on the page: heavy sweating and shortness of breath ________ clear lungs — that’s pulmonary embolism (肺部栓). Obviously, I made a silly mistake and________consumed me.

“Code Blue Room307!”, however, I instantly called the doctor,________to the room.

________, he was still fine and received the immediate operation.

This incident has been in my mind for 30 years. What if I hadn’t read that chapter in the textbook? What if I was too scared, too insecure, and too ________ to ask the real doctor for help?

7 . Dr. Smith of New York works at a center for children who can’t learn well. One day a father brought his son to him for________ at his office.

The father told Dr. Smith about his son. “My son has ________ in learning and can’t even play baseball. He isn’t doing well because he doesn’t try. I have done everything for him. I have even shouted at him. But nothing ________. ”

After Dr. Smith tested the boy, he ________ his father. He asked the father to sit in front of a ________ and then gave him a pencil and a piece of paper. There was a ________ on the paper. He asked the father to look only in the mirror and ________ the lines of the star with the pencil. The father made the same ________ anyone makes. Every time he ________ the pencil, it went the wrong way. The father’s face became red.

At this ________ the doctor shouted at him, “Hurry up! Why are you ________ so long? You can’t do such an ________ thing! You don’t know left from right!” These ________ made the father very angry.

“Now you can ________, can’t you?” The doctor said to him. “Your son has felt just like that all the time. You scolded (训斥) him too often, so he didn't try any more. He was afraid of making mistakes. ”

________ the father understood everything. He put his face down. Now he felt so sorry.

8 . Auri Katarina used to be a service manager at a cleaning company in Finland. In 2021, _________ to her family and friends, she quit her job. She decided to follow her unique passion.

Auri has always _________ cleaning things, and she began posting cleaning videos online two years ago. Then one day, a single mother asked her for help because she was _________ so much with three children always making a mess at home. Auri, who is “in heaven” whenever she is doing cleaning, was _________ to help. So she went on a weekend and _________ her home for two days. Auri didn’t ask for any _________ for her service; it was the _________ in the house and the family, which her work resulted in, that made her really happy.

Since then, Auri has gone as far as the USA and UK to help people in desperate need of cleaning. She gets _________ online but chooses only the _________ homes belonging to people most in need. For the first six months she __________ all travel and product expenses herself, about 300 euros per visit. __________ her popular videos of cleaning tips, a corporate sponsor has reached out to her. She still never __________ a penny.

Now, Auri goes to clean homes of __________ once a week, for two days, and creates __________ for her social media channels, including lists of some of her top tips. Her dream is to clean for free all over the world, helping people while doing something she absolutely __________.

9 . In the back of my closet, there is a small cardboard chest that has followed me to every one of my new addresses. Until now, the only _________ contents in it are three wrapped _________ marked in my mother’s tidy handwriting: “Engagement”, “Wedding” and “First Baby”.

When I was three, my mother learned that she had advanced breast cancer. When I was seven, she had begun _________ a gift box for me. Inside, she packed presents and letters for the _________ of my life she was going to be missing — driver’s license, graduation, and every birthday until the age of 30.

My mother died ten days before our _________ birthday. That morning, when I turned 12 and she would have turned 49, I woke up early and opened the package _________ “12th Birthday”. A white card curling around the present _________: “I always _________ a birthstone ring when I was a little girl. Your Granny finally bought me one and I loved it more than I can say. I hope you like it, too.” I put on the ring and _________ her writing with my fingertip.

On the morning of my high school graduation, a __________ of pearls appeared as I opened the wrapped present. Her note read: “There seemed to be a __________ in my family that when girls graduated from high school, they received pearls.” I wore the pearls that afternoon as I took the stage to accept my diploma.

Year after year, my mother __________ forward in time to meet me. When I was a child, opening the next package felt like a treasure __________. As I grew older, her message met me like guideposts in a dark forest. If her words couldn’t point the way, at least they offered the __________ of knowing that someone had been there before and that I have been __________, wildly loved.

10 . Jenny was a little girl who was not very confident. She always lowered her ________ because she didn’t think she was beautiful enough all the time. One day she went to a shop to ________ a green bow (蝴蝶结). The shopkeeper constantly praised she looked very beautiful with it. Though she didn’t ________ that, Jenny was so ________ that she couldn’t help raising her head.

Jenny happened to meet her teacher when she went into the classroom. “Jenny, it’s ________ beautiful when you ________ your head,” said the teacher.

That day Jenny got the ________ from many people. She ________ it must be because of the bow. When she looked in the mirror (镜子), there wasn’t any ________ on her head. She must have ________ it when she went out of the shop and bumped against(撞到)someone else.

Self-confidence is originally (本来) a kind of ________, but many people ________ so much about their appearance (外表) that they lose a lot of ________. Poor or ________, pretty or plain, as long as you, raise your head, it can make you ________.